Sinclair began a content development division, the company said...

Sinclair began a content development division, the company said in a news release Thursday (http://bit.ly/1p0GfB1). It said Sinclair Original Programming will create “entertainment content and business-to-consumer content such as infomercials and direct response commercials.” The shows SOP creates will initially air in prime time and afternoons on weekends on Sinclair’s MyNetworkTV and CW stations, the broadcaster said. “Controlling our content and its development not only reduces our dependency on others, providing a hedge against network disruptions, but allows us greater economic upside potential,” Sinclair CEO David Smith said. Arthur Hasson, general manager of Sinclair’s CBS, CW and MyNet affiliates in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, will become chief operating officer of SOP, Sinclair said. “There is potential to distribute shows beyond our platforms both domestically and internationally,” Hasson said.